


A Tale of Profit

by ArtBabbit



Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game), Dungeons & Dragons - All Media Types
Genre: Dungeons & Dragons Character Backstory, Gen, Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pirates, Sailing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:41:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28061082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArtBabbit/pseuds/ArtBabbit
Summary: A young Draconian man wakes up in a strange, dark room he doesn't recognize. He also doesn't know how he got there. Or why the room seems to be moving.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 4





	A Tale of Profit

**Author's Note:**

> This is my DnD character's backstory. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I'm enjoying making it!

_Creeaakk..._

...

_Creeaakk..._

...

Ugh. That creaking sound is going to be the death of me. 

As I drag my scaly claw toward my head, scraping across the old wooden floorboards, I could almost believe the creaking was my bones. I feel awful. I just want to lay here forever. 

Like a snail.

But snails are lazy. And small. They're tiny little assholes, and I'm not gonna let myself stoop down to their level.

So I push myself up, and have look around. It seems I'm in some dark, decrepit, old room. Everything in here is made of wood, including the door I spot right across the room from me. It's hard not to notice that I have no idea where I am. If I could just get up off the floor, I might be able to look around. But, my god. Everything hurts. Maybe I'll just lay here a little longer...

...

_Creeaakk..._

...

_Creeaakk..._

...

The room is moving. I was too sick to notice before, but this room is not stationary. Rooms should be stationary. Is that where the creaking sound is coming from? Where the hell am I right now?

Eventually, I manage to force myself up off the ground. As I stand up, the layer of dust that had been collecting on top of me sweeps off. I guess I must have been laying there a while? Honestly, I don't even remember how the hell I got in here. I make my way to the door and run my claw along the length of the handle. No dust. That's ominous. I stay still for a moment, thinking, before taking the door by the handle and tugging as hard as I can. The door swings open and I'm knocked off my feet, falling in tandem with the swaying of the room. As I look up, a near-blinding light floods into the room. 

Ow. Fuck. That shit hurt my fucking eyes. Like, pretty bad. I mean like, it's not gonna kill me or anything, but Jesus Christ. It was really bright, is what I'm getting at.

Turns out it was just sunlight, but I guess I've been in the dark so long that my sexy Draconian eyes weren't prepared for it. But after spending a moment blinking, my eyes readjusted, and now I can take a look around. I'm on the deck of some ship I've never seen before. Giant sails, tied up against their masts, stand towering over my head. I see a ladder up to the helm behind me, and black flags flying from their poles. The sight makes me uncomfortable. I can't pin down what's wrong, but it's definitely something. I run over to the guard rail and look out.

All I can hear right now are the gentle waves crashing against the side of the boat, and the calm wind brushing against my face. My heavy footsteps against the soft wooden ground are inexplicably calming, in a way I don't understand. All I can see right now is the gorgeous ocean, a cerulean blue for miles in every direction. The mysterious beauty of the sea calls out to me in a way I can't describe. All I can feel right now is a sense of unease, anxiety caused by the uncertainty of my situation. Anxiety, calmed by everything I've already described. Calmed in a way I'm not sure makes sense. 

This moment of clarity has helped me realize what seemed so strange about this ship. I'm alone here.

Alright, don't get me wrong. I'm not an expert on sailing by any means (at least, as far as I can remember). But I'm pretty sure there should be someone else here. Like, a captain? And the crew? But as I traverse the deck, from one side to the other, nobody's here to notice me. Nobody's around to shout, "The prisoner's escaped!" or anything. The deck below me is dirty and worn, and the railing is carved with names and stories, all worn away by the weather. Signs of life, but not a person in sight. It's pretty, uhhh, fuckin weird, I think.

Still, the solitude is nice. The question of "Who would knock someone out, and put them alone in a room on a giant, deserted ship in the middle of the ocean?" lingers on my mind. That might not even be what happened. I probably just drank too much mead, found somebody's ship, lifted the anchor and passed out somewhere. Wait, do I even drink mead? Fuck if I know. What I DO know, however, is that standing around here isn't getting me anywhere. I turn toward the ladder behind me and climb the steps up toward the helm.

I lay one claw on a spoke of the wheel, and all at once I know. I can't tell you for sure what it is, but I just have this feeling. This beast is mine.

Very quickly, I feel something come over me. Like muscle memory, I leap for the ratlines. The grainy rope feels so familiar in my scaly hands, I feel like I've been gripping it like this for my whole life. Climbing the rope, feeling the wind on my scales. I could die in this feeling. I reach an arm out and loft my weight up onto the crow's nest. With a tug of a nearby chain, I release the main sail. It falls with a boom, in a way that makes my heart cry out of happiness. And as the wind catches the sail, the whole vessel cutting through the water and creaking out across the sea. What a rush! Instinctively, I leap down to the mast and slice through a rope with my razor sharp claws. The gaff sail falls, and I fall down with it. The fabric of the sail glides me down to the deck, and with a thud, I land on my knees. I stand back up, and let myself fall onto my back, gazing up at the sails. They're free. They're beautiful.

She sounds like she's crying. As if she's thanking me for returning her freedom. Finally, she's back in control, and the wind feels so nice in her sails. I can only imagine. 

**Author's Note:**

> This is just Chapter 1!! I'll release more chapters ??? whenever I finish them I guess  
> (don't worry it wont take too long)
> 
> Comments are super appreciated!! Please let me know what you think, I live and breathe to hear your feedback


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